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Holiday Storage Tips

With the changing of seasons and the holidays on the way, your home may start becoming a bit too cluttered for your liking. When you think about the holidays, though, don’t limit yourself to just Christmas and Hanukah. I bet you have decorations and other items lying around your house for many other holidays, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter and Independence Day and more. We have some great holiday storage tips to get your home back to normal now, quickly and easily, so you can reclaim your space!

Here are some easy holiday storage tips you can follow:

The first step for you to get your home back is to rent a small self storage unit – something like a 5×10 or 10×10 would most likely be the perfect size for holiday items. There is no reason to keep these items you use just once a year inside your home, wasting space or getting in your way.

Be sure to use sturdy boxes or totes, and pack your fragile items in bubble wrap or packing paper to keep them safe and prevent breakage. Make sure you tape your boxes shut and secure lids on totes completely.

Do not stack your boxes too high, or pack them too heavily. Make sure the heavier boxes are on the bottom and lighter ones are on the top. Keep an aisle down the center of your storage unit so you can easily see and reach items you will need.

Be sure to label your boxes and totes clearly with which holiday items they are holding. If there are fragile items inside, make sure to label as such.

You will want to rotate your holiday items as each one comes and goes. For example, when you put back your Christmas items, move those boxes and totes all the way to the back of the unit and pull your Easter ones to the front. This will save you time and headache and keep you prepared for each holiday as it arrives.

As for the big holidays like Christmas and Hanukah, use your storage unit to store gifts as you buy them! You can even set up a small table inside your storage unit, and use it to wrap your gifts as you buy them. Keep a tote full of wrapping paper, gift tags, a couple pens and plenty of tape out front and easy to reach. Also keep a small can or bag for your paper scraps and plastic wrapping paper covers. The last thing you want is trash strewn all about when you are trying to stay organized and wrap efficiently.
Remember to keep a list of everything you purchased for each family member and friend, as well as the money you spent. This will help you stick to your budget and also remind you of what you bought for each person.

It would also be a good idea to put something down on the floor first, like a large piece of cardboard, to stack your gifts on, and keep them from getting dirty. Or better yet, purchase some of our Extra Large boxes from our retail shops and place the wrapped gifts inside as you finish with them. This way, you’ll be ahead of the game when the holiday creeps up on you because you will already have your wrapping done! And, using your storage unit for gifts will prevent spoiled surprises and ruined moments when your kids scavenger hunt through your home looking for their gifts before the big day arrives…which we all have done as a kid.

You can benefit from using a self storage unit for the other holidays throughout the year as well. Many people decorate for holidays like Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day and more. A lot of people also host parties or family dinners and cookouts, and need some extra space in their homes for those events. You can keep your decorations and themed tableware in your storage unit until you need them.

You can also move some things out of your home temporarily to make room for your holiday guests. Let’s say you need to transform your extra bedroom slash office slash workout room into a guest room for extended family. To make it feel more welcoming and give them the more space, move anything that you don’t need daily or weekly into your storage unit. You can then simply move it back once they head home. They will be very thankful for how thoughtful you have been when they come to visit.

Using self storage is a great idea for holiday storage, to hide gifts from those prying eyes or to create more space in your home for holiday visitors. If you have additional holiday storage tips, please share them in the comments below so everyone can benefit from what works for you.